School social workers’ role in facilitating the transition to adulthood for students with disabilities

Schools are charged with preparing all students to transition to their postsecondary goals for learning, working, living, and thriving in adulthood. School social workers (SSWs) play integral roles on interdisciplinary teams that support students with disabilities (SWD) in this transition as part of the Individualized Education Programs, but the literature lacks a comprehensive review of specific ways in which these professionals facilitate secondary transition services. This scoping review of 37 peer-reviewed journal articles, dissertations and theses, and one book chapter examined the ways in which SSWs have or have been recommended to contribute to transition services for SWD across the areas of transition assessment and goal development, instruction, planning, experiences, partnerships, and program development and improvement. Findings highlight the ways in which school districts can further leverage the professional contributions of SSWs for facilitating more equitable outcomes toward supporting secondary transition services that prepare SWD for their postsecondary goals. Authors include important implications for future research and practice regarding in-service and preservice school social workers.